The three methods that we follow are:
- Dynamic Content Generation
- Site Replication, and
- Selective Replication
Dynamic Content Generation
This method is complicated, which allows your site to support different languages. Dynamic Content Generation is an effective method when you have two or three languages on your website and is highly suitable when your site is not very big.
All the languages to be displayed are stored in a database and each language carried a variable when the user clicks on the desired language, the content is extracted from the table and is displayed. Graphics can also be done in two simple ways: either you store them in the database with the languages or else you create as a simple table structure. In the table structure, each image could be given a name. Similarly, messages can also be stored in the database where each name could represent a unique ID for each message. Then, when required these messages can be called any number of times. One must take care of the message ID’s because once lost it is a very problematic to again assign the message numbers on the website.
Disadvantages:
- It is not ideal for large sites where the contents are huge because there could be immense performance abjection
- When you wish to edit the content then you have to directly edit the contents in the table or else provide an admin panel to make modifications in each page
- Database could become heavier and would lead to slow performance
Site Replication
Most common method used widely across the globe. The index or the homepage of the website rests in the root folder when it is a single language website. When you want a website to appear in French then you have to duplicate the whole site into another directory called French. The links in the French language should open to the pages in French only. On every page of the website user have to select the language and this selection would direct the user to the page that resides on the chosen language site.
Web Animation India uses the proper tools and techniques to replicate the site and if you require it do it manually, and then we give an option to edit each file on the website and adjust the links on them to page on the language site.
Disadvantage:
- Any bug found cleared from the main site needs to be cleared from all the language sites. Suppose your website is supporting two other languages then apart from the default language your task would increase by three times which would involve maintenance/bug-fixing/content-changing task 2-fold.
- In your default page of the site if you took care of code/content to be re-usable, but in all the language sites you have to use the same so that if there is any change in the functionality all you would have to do is change the included file.
Selective Replication
Selective Replication method is the best method of the three methods discussed above. Initial set up of this method is expensive but in the long-run it is very cost-effective and is the best method used by large sites including Microsoft.
In this method, under the main site where there are no contents and images. All the images and content lie under the respective heads marked EN, GR, ES, etc varying on the languages. The contents can also be placed in two places; one in separate text files and other way is by making separate arrays which is included in every ASP file and the message will be called from the array.
Disadvantage:
Problem arise when the site is re-designed because then all the files need to be recreated in the directories created
If you are interested in outsourcing the web development of your multi language project to Web Animation India please feel free to contact us. Our webmasters take extreme pleasure in creating the support for you.
